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H O U S T O N - A d d i n grituximab (Rituxan) to fludarabine(Fludara)/cyclophosphamide(Cytoxan, Neosar) (FCR) prolongssurvival in patients with relapsedchronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL), according to GuillermoGarcia-Manero, MD. Dr. Garcia-Manero is assistant professor in theDepartment of Leukemia at TheUniversity of Texas M. D. AndersonCancer Center in Houston. Hepresented updated data on thisstudy in a poster at the 43rd AnnualMeeting of the American Society ofHematology (abstract 2650).

BOSTON-A rare pediatricleukemia, previously thought to bea subset of acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL), is actually a distinctform of the disease, according toinvestigators who used gene chipsto create and contrast genetic profilesof cancer cells.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Patients withchronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) complicated by autoimmunehemolytic anemia (AIHA) usuallyimprove following treatment withhigh-dose steroids but have few optionsif such treatment fail

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Despite earlymortality risks, HLA-matched siblingbone marrow transplants(BMTs) offer a greater possibility ofcure for patients with relapsedchronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL) than does chemotherapy, accordingto a report presented at the43rd Annual Meeting of the AmericanSociety of Hematology (abstract2011). A second report (abstract2013) showed that allogeneic transplantled to better event-free survivalthan autologous transplant.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

This special “Annual Highlights” supplement to Oncology NewsInternational is a compilation of the major advances in the managementof the lymphomas and leukemias during 2002, as reported in ONI.Commentaries by the editors, Drs. Gregory Bociek, James Armitage,and Michael Keating, provide perspective and prediction as to howthese developments may affect clinical practice.

ORLANDO-Zoledronic acid (Zo-meta) reduces the incidence of skeletal-related events (SREs) such as bone pain and pathologic fractures in patients with bone metastases from prostate and other solid tumors, researchers reported at two major medical meetings.

NEW YORK-Blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities are less likely than whites to receive appropriate analgesia, as illustrated in the cancer literature and anecdotal reports from those who work with minority populations, said Stacie T. Pinderhughes, MD. "This is a high-risk group with regard to adequate and appropriate treatment of pain," said Dr. Pinderhughes, assistant professor of geriatrics and internal medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York.

Calling his initial months as director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) "absolutely exhilarating," Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, described three interrelated themes that will guide his leadership of the Institute. The three, he said at a

WASHINGTON-Donna Przepiorka, MD, PhD, formerly of the Baylor College of Medicine and now at the University of Tennessee, Memphis, has become chair of the Food and Drug Administration’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC). She replaces Stacy Nerenstone, MD, of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, whose term expired. Dr. Przepiorka’s research has focused largely on transplantation immunobiol-ogy and she has a background in cellular and gene therapy. Her term as committee chair will end on June 30, 2004.

ORLANDO-Polysaccharides (a type of carbohydrate) are the most highly expressed antigens on the surface of cancer cells, and they can be uniquely effective targets for immunotherapy, said Philip Livingston, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Cornell University Medical College.

WASHINGTON-Managing the associated neurological problems of brain tumors is a crucial issue for oncology nurses, said Karen Baumgartner, MSN, APRN, BC, advance practice nurse in the Neuro Center at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. If nurses fail to notice the signs indicating increased intracranial pressure (ICP), neurological injury and even death can result.

ORLANDO-The activity of rituxi-mab (Rituxan) in lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s disease (LPHD) warrants additional investigation, according to a presentation at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (abstract 1052).

ORLANDO-Alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) administered subcutaneously produced an overall response rate of 87% among 38 patients with previously untreated chronic lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL) in a phase II study conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, On-tario, Canada-The cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines can occur many years after treatment for childhood cancer. Studies exploring methods to prevent these effects were presented at the 7th International Conference for Long-Term Complications of Treatment of Children and Adolescents for Cancer, hosted by Ros-well Park Cancer Institute.

Every 3 years, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) asks researchers, advisory panels, and advocacy groups to recommend "extraordinary opportunities for investment," which it defines as "broad-based, overarching areas of scientific pursuit that hold tremendous promise for significantly expanding our understanding of cancer."

Since the implementation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the United States in 1996, the number of persons diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and the number of deaths among persons with AIDS have

Genentech Inc, Idec Pharmaceuticals, and Roche recently announced the initial results of a randomized multicenter study of extended therapy with single-agent rituxan (Rituximab) in patients with chemotherapy-naive and relapsed indolent non-

ORLANDO-Daily doses of oral ibandronate (investigational, Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland), a highly potent third-generation bisphosphonate, significantly reduced the incidence of new skeletal complications in breast cancer patients with metastatic bone disease enrolled in a phase III trial. The mean number of new events per patient was 1.36 for women taking oral ibandronate at 20 mg/d and 1.43 at 50 mg/d, compared with 2.23 for women taking placebo.

National cancer advocacy groups leveled harsh criticism at Senate negotiators from both parties for their failure to include any significant enhancements of beneficiary entitlements in a pending Medicare legislative package. Ellen Stovall, president of the

OTTAWA, Canada-Radiation oncology has always been a resource- and data-intensive discipline, and the increasing use of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has made the process of delivering radiation to cancer patients even more complex.

Although the title might be slightly misleading, Oncologic Imaging is actually a compendium of information on the detection, diagnosis, imaging, staging, and treatment of cancer. This is the second edition of a multiauthor book that first appeared in

ORLANDO-Randomized clinical trial data presented at the 38th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (abstract 1436) show that pain control medications delivered through an implantable intrathecal drug delivery system (IDDS) are significantly more effective than similar drugs given as oral or injectable formulations.

NEW ORLEANS-Fox Chase Cancer Center investigators presented further support for yearly mammograms in women age 40 and older at the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO abstract plenary 2).

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, New Jersey-Genta Incorporated has initiated a new clinical trial with its lead anticancer drug Genasense in patients with multiple myeloma. The study will assess the safety and efficacy of Gena-sense in combination with thalidomide (Thalomid) and dexamethasone in patients who have failed standard therapy. The trial will be conducted at the University of Maryland and is sponsored by the NCI pursuant to Genta’s Cooperation Research and Development Agreement (CRADA). Genasense works by inhibiting the production of Bcl-2, a protein made by cancer cells that blocks chemotherapy-induced cell death. Genasense may enhance the effectiveness of current anticancer treatments, Genta said in a news release.

SAN FRANCISCO-An investigational test kit (Apomate) to measure apoptosis may be able to detect a positive or negative response to chemotherapy within just a few days of initiation of treatment, allowing nonresponders to switch quickly to a different treatment.